Every time I setup a new machine I have to make sure to remind myself to install adobe reader or some other kind of pdf reader like it or else my clients will invariably call me as soon as I’m out their door wondering why some (pdf) files they have does not load up. If you have a MAC, Preview will take care of all your pdf needs and more. Until Windows include one too, please read on.
For years that meant going to adobe.com and searching for that ever elusive ‘get adobe reader’ button. And for a while that has worked pretty well…until a few years ago. They started bundling google toolbar which made me have to read and uncheck this F#$%en ‘feature’ before I download. Not only was it annoying to be asked to install something you didn’t want but also to add insult to injury, it meant the file will be bigger and take you longer to download it. What finally made me give up completely on adobe reader was some time last year they started installing adobe.com and adobe air with every installation of adobe reader. Sure you can uninstall them AFTER you are done installing but they should have given you an option to not install it in the first place. Better yet they should have done what they did with the google toolbar and given you an opt-out option BEFORE you download reader. I’m sure these two forced-down-your-throat ‘features’ added over 10mb to the already bloated 90mb-ish download.
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My wife has an iPod Touch and she’s always behind in updates and new features because she feels she’s like a red headed step child when it comes to update from Apple. She is not alone. I don’t understand why Apple treats the iPod Touch so much different from their more hyped iPhone. Sure it makes them more money and gets all the media attention. Add a built in mic and bluetooth and the iPod Touch can be a phone too, via Skype.
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Many of you may have notice the address bar starting with Windows Vista having a new unique way of letting you finding out where you are in Windows Explorer. While most will welcome this change, some of you old school geeks who would rather have the full path with all the c:\ and \, would love to find a way to get this back. You can do it by pressing Alt+D in the window but that can get tedious.
The quickest solution is to install AveNoBreadCrumb
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Firefox is out today so I thought we’d look at the new features that it offers. Like other past updates, this one is sure to swallow up add-ons that were previously not built in. Also if you use many add-ons, you may want to wait a while or check to see if your favorite add-ons are compatible yet. I’ve check my four add-ons and they are ready to go so I took the plunge. Here is what I particularly like.
1. Undo a closed window – How many times have you accidentally closed a window full of tabs and wanted it back? Now just go to the History window and go to ‘recently closed window’
2.
Tab Tearing – This is one thing I haven’t played around with much but I think I’ll like it when I start using it more. Basically you drag a tab out in the open and it becomes a separate window. If you drag a tab that independent into a cluster of them, it joins nicely and you are rid of an extra window. I think
Chrome and the new
Safari already have this. Now I have the power too…muhahaahaha!
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Microsoft is late getting in the game but it is slowly deploying tools to help Windows users combat virus and malware. Microsoft Security Essentials is the next step in rebuilding their sullied image. In the past they have released Windows Antispyware; later renamed Defender. As a standalone download, not many people heard about it and even less used it on their Windows XP machines. As of Vista and beyond, Defender is included in your OS for really Microsoft’s protection. From the complaints I hear in the field, one of the top reason people are switching to the Mac is their lack of viruses.
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